Electrical operation and control of railway-switches.



No. 694,847. Patented Mar. 4, I902.

T. DUCDUSSD &. F. RUDABY. ELECTRICAL OPERATION AND CONTROL OF RAILWAY SWITCHES (Application filed-Apr. 1, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Patnted Mar. 4, i902.

I T; nucousso &' F. RDDARY. ELECTRICAL OPERATION AND CONTROL OF BAILWAY SWITGHES.

(Application filed Apr. 1, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Shet 2.

(No Model.)

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UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THFOPHILE DUCOUSSO AND FERDINAND RODARY, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

ELECTRICAL OPERATION AND CONTROL OF RAILWAY'SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,847, dated March 4, 1902.

I Application filed April I, 1901. Serial No. 3,920 (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that we,Tn:ioPB1Ln DUCOUSSO, a resident of '219 Rue de Vaugirard, and FERDINAND RODARY, a resident of 53 Rue de Vaugirard, Paris, in the Republic of France, citizens of the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Electric Operation and Control of Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specivso I position of danger in accordance with the conditions required for'securing safety.

The system constituting our invention com prises a source of electricity and a transmitting or operating lever in the signal-box or central station, mechanism for moving the signal situated in the immediate neighborhood of the signal, and an electric conducting system between the two apparatus, composed of two wires for the transmission-circuit, properly speaking, and-a supplementary wire to control the danger position in combination with one of the transmitting-wires.

To simplify the description, we have'in the accompanying drawings allotted the same letters of reference to the same parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a general view showing the application of the motor to asemaphore. Fig. 2 is a face view in detail of the motor mechanism. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the driving-shaft of the motor mechanism. Fig. 4 represents a portion of the motor mech anism during the passage from the position of danger to the line clear position. Fig. 5 represents the same motor mechanism in the line clear position of the signal. Figs. (Sand 7 represent the operating-lever and also the connections between same and the motor apparatus, respectively, in the case when the signal is at danger and during its passage to line clear in order to clearly show the stages or phases of the action.

In our improved system the signal is maintained at line clear by electrical action. It passes from line clear to danger 'by provided with a counterweight D, which by the action of gravity tends to put the signal into the danger position. The lever O is keyed upon the shaft a, as are also the toothed sector 1) and the arm 0. This latter moves between two fixed stops (1 c on the framing,

which limits its travel in concordance with V the angular displacement of the signal; The sector I) gears with a pinion firigidly connected to the wheelg, which itself gears with a pinion h, loose on its shaft it, but rigidly connected to a plate 2', of iron or other magnetic metal. This plate forms part of a magnetic clutch, the arrangement of whichis shown in Fig. 3. The iron shaft 71 presents a portion a of larger diameter, upon which is an exciting-bobbin if. A cup or casing a of iron or other magnetic metal, is keyed upon the shaft 91, and the rim of thisbell or casing is capable of being applied against the plate t'. A toothed wheel is, gearing with the worm l, is keyed upon the cup or casing n Further, the cup or casing 12 carries a pawl j, which engages and drives theteeth of the plate '6. The two extremities of the wire of bobbin n pass into a groove in the hub of the cup or that a force exerted by the wheel it cannot 1 cause the worm l to turn; also, the mechanism being in the position represented in Fig.

2- -that is to say, the signal being at danger an external force which would tend to raise the counterweight D or ,to lower the signal A to line clear would not have any ap 'preciable eifect, because the movement would. be at once locked by the action of the pawl.

lated therefrom and capable of putting a set of contact springsy 3 into communication. The lever :13 carries a projection 00 and is movable about the center tt, WhlCll is also the center'of' rotation of a second lever 2f, capable of moving the first by a projection 15. pulled by the springo and, on the other hand, a spring 00 connects the two levers and as. In the position Fig. 2 it is the spring 1) which, pulling the lever t, maintains the contact of 00 with the set of springs g y, the lever 00 bearing against the stop 2. To move this interrupter, the sectorb'cari'ies a tooth b and a concentric tappet 27 The operation of the interrupter is as follows: When the motormechanisin arrives near the end of its travel to put the signal to line clear, the tooth b pushes the lever t, Fig. 4, and the springw tends in its turn to communicate motion to the lever 01;; but the proje'ction'oc of this latter remains locked by the tappet 1) until the precise moment when this tappet has escaped from the said projection. At this moment, Fig. 5,'the lever :0 moves anddenly in obedience to the action of the spring m and insulates the springs y y. The escape of the lever 00 is regulated to act at the precise moment whenthe arm 0 has nearly come against the stop ethat is to say, when the signal is at line-clear. In the opposite movement-that is to say, when the counterweight D, falling from the position Fig.

5 to that 'of'Fig.-2, the projection 00 is held by the interior face of the tappet 11 until the moment when the said tappet has entirely passed Then only can the spring Q) actuate the two levers i and 00 and suddenly reestablish the contact y 1 \Ve will explain later that this set of contactscontrols the stop page of" the motor.

The signal comprises a controlling-interrupter E or lever actuated directly by the signal-arm and operating a set of contacts E E in such manner that this contact is-closed only when the signal is in the danger position. i The transmitting or operating lever, Figs. 6 and 7, comprises the lever G G, movable about the center H and jointed at G to the connecting-rod I of the bar I of the locking-table 1 The part played by this table is described in our prior application for patent relating to the control of the points. We will not repeat it here. The lever G is also jointed at G to the connecting-rod J of the switch J, which switch Jis connected framing ofthe apparatus and being controlled The lever t is by the lever L of the armature L of the elecdirection-that is to say, from the position" Fig. 7 to that of Fig. 6-the lever G is arrested by the bolt M until this latter is lifted in consequence of the excitation of the electromagnet L.

The electrical connections between the opcrating-lever and the signal'are indicated in Figs. (3 and 7, in which we have shown ill heavy lines the operating-circuit 'for the signal-actuating mechanism (see line-wires F and F and in ordinary lines the circuit employed for controlling the position of the sig- I nal, (see line-wire F The bearing block or surface K of the-switch is insulated. The contact-surface K is connected to the electromagnet L and through this by F and E to the controlling-interrupter. The second'contact E of this latter is connected to the wire F The contact block or surface K' is connected through F and y'to the interrupter of the motor mechanism, the othercontact y of which is connected to the series motor m, which is connected-by the wire F 'to the negative pole of the source of electricity 1?. In Figs. 6' and 7 the clutch mechanism is shown only by the collecting-rings and their contact-springs r s, which are connected, respectively, with the wires F and F -'that is to say, the clutch mechanism is always electrically connected between these two wires.

The operation is as followsz Fig. 6 the sig nal is kept at danger by the action of the counterweight D and locked in this position by the pawl j,-aslwe' havesh own in describing the mechanism." The'le'ver 'G'also' occupiesthe danger position. Toputthesignal -to line clear, the lever Gris brought'to the position indicated in full lines, Fig. 7, and corresponding to line clear. In this'movementthe switch J is brought upon the contact block or surface K and the current coming from +P passes byJ K ,the wire F,partly by r 3, through the clutch, and returns to P by F but-another portion passes by the contact y x y through the motor on and returns by F', as above. This current simultaneously' operates "the clutch and the motor.

Now the directionof rotation of the motor is pinion f to the sector 73, bythis latter to the shaft on and to the lever O, which rises with its counterweight 1), while the connecting rod B causes the signal to descend toward the line clear position. .In Fig. 4 will be seen the state of the mechanism a little before the end oi the completemovement before the interrupter m hasoperated, and Fig. 5 after the completion of the movementthat is to say, after the operation of the inter rupter 02?. At this moment, reference being bad to Fig. 7, where theinterrupter m is shown in dotted lines after its operation, it will be seen that the current no longer passes into the motor m and this stops; but the current continues to pass throughthe clutch and maintains the .mechanisrmand consequently the signal, inthe line clear position If,;the lever G beingin the f lineclear position indicated in, full lines, Fig. 7, it is desired to put.

the signal ,to danger, the said lever G is.

placed inrthe position shownin dottedlines, beyond which positionit cannot im mediately' pass by reasonlof the obstruction by the, bolt M. In this positiontheswitch J has qnitted the contact-surface Ki, thus interrupting the transmissionci'rcuit. From. this point the. clutch is .no longer excited, the weight D brings the signal to danger,. imparting motion to the, gear I) f. g h and the plateji, whichnolonger adheres to the cup orcasing. n Figs; 2, 3,.and .5, but the switch J is upon the contact-surface K. Consequently as soon as. the signal is at danger. the current from +P passes by J K through the electromag, A

;railway'-signals theactuating mechanism eom-. prising an electric motor, a worm-geariso con-; structed as to only transmit power from, the; motor, an electromagnetic partof a magnetic net L by F and the contact E l'to the wire F and to the pole -P. The electromagnet L is excited, raising the bolt M to allow the lug. N to pass. Thenonly can the lever G be put over to the full extent of its throw, as inFig. 6, in which position there is no longerany current, the. switcbiJbeing upon the insulated bearing-surface K. 1 g

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv 1:"Intheelectrical operation and .control of railway-signals, the combination of a signal-actuatingmechanism comprising a signal and signal-operating rods counterweighted to return to danger position, aswitch opened by the said signal when in line clear position, a reversible train of wheels connected to the signals, a motor for-actuating the signals, an. intermediate cut-out switch for the motor actuated bythe reversible train of wheels, a non-reversible train of wheels: connected to said motor, a magnetic clutch disposed between the. reversible and non-reversible train of wheels acne-direction mechanical clutch between the magnetic clutchand the reversible trainof'wheels, mechanism for controlling the actuating mechanism comprising a hand-operated lever, a lockingbolt for-said lever, anelectromagnetfor operating said bolt, a controllingswitch-arm and three contacts actuated'by said hand optact of said controlling-switchthrough -the'- bolt-actuating magnet to the switch opened,-

by the signal when in line clear-position, a circuit fromsaidcontrollingI-switch to the motor through the intermediate switch, a

shunt-circuit across the motor-circuit'for the magnetic clutch in the signalactuating mech.

anism alladapted for use and operation substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth. w I- 2. In the electricv operation and control of railway-signals, the signal-actuating mechanismcomprising a reversibletrain of wheels connected to the signals, amotor foractnating said, train of wheels toset the-signals .to ,iline clear); position, a nonreversibletrain of Wheels connected tosaid motor, a magnetic tio'n meehanicahcl utchbetween the magnetic arranged to prevent the backward movement ger? position .but preventing thesame being .moved-to line clear except bythe moto,r,; all substantially as and forthe purposes set;

forth... i 3. .In the electric operation and control of Iclutch disposed between i the reversible and, I non-reversible train of wheels, a one-direer9 clutch and the reversible train'of wheels and clutch rotated by said worm-gear, an arma-.

ture for said clutch, a ratchet-.and-pawl gear mature of the magnetic clutch'av sectorzb driven bysaidreversible train of'wheels, and

IIO

connected: with the .signalsstops-c d for said sector, a pair of spri-ngapressed levers t m" piv oted tothe .frame and .to one another andforming with contacts y y a switch controlling the electric circuit foroperating the mo tor, a stop a2? on the lever 90' and a step b and nose I) on the said quadrant'all adapted to Opemt? substantiates and for the Purposes set forth.

, 4:. vIn an electrically operatedandcontrolled railway-signal, the combination withthe motor-'drivenactuating mechanism, ofa controlling mechanism comprising a hand-lever controlled vby an interlocking frame,.a lockingbolt for said lever, anelectricswitch actua ated by the hand-lever, an electromagnet for lever switch and aswitch actuated by-the signal, and means carriedby the hand-lever operating the hand-lever-locking-belt andar r Y ranged in a'circuit controlled by the hand.-

arrangedtobe engaged by the bolt when the hand-lever is shifted to set the signal to danour names in the presence of two subscribing ger position and prevent the hand lever Witnesses.

from breaking the circuit at the hand-lever THEOPHILE DUCOUSSO.

switch until the signal has been completely FERDINAND RODARY. 5 set to danger position, substantially as W'itnesses:

described. LE0 LORENTZ,

In Witn ess whereof we have hereunto signed GEORGES MINSSART. 

